Friendsgiving
by butterpats
Summary: Just a little scene from my imagining of Friendgiving. Caroline centric. Carenzo, but eventual Steroline.
1. Chapter 1

_"I hate you."_ Those three deadly words echoed in Stefan's head for days. On one hand, he completely understood why. He had been awful to her-he had been worse than Klaus and Tyler had ever been to her. But on the other hand, he couldn't picture life without her. _Caroline had been there through it all- his painful breakup with Elena, his ripper moments, and everything with the travelers, and now she's already out the door with yet another British tool_. _Man, you really screwed up this time, _he thought to himself.

"Why so glum, brother?" Damon asked, snapping Stefan back to reality.

"I'm fine, Damon," Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Does it have anything to do with Barbie?" Damon prodded him.

"She hates me Damon. I've never seen her like this," Stefan finally admitted.

"Only because she loves you and you, well, treated her like complete shit," Damon said.

"Thanks, Damon."

"Anytime, brother." Just then Enzo appeared at the door.

"Stefan," Enzo said in a clearly fake, cordial tone.

"Damon what's he doing here? Get him out." Stefan gritted his teeth.

"Relax, we're leaving. We've gotta be somewhere," Damon replied.

"Where? It's Thanksgiving?" Stefan asked.

"You haven't told him, have you?" Enzo murmured.

"Caroline is throwing a 'Friendsgiving' party,'' Damon admitted.

"Friendsgiving? I take it she's forgiven you," Stefan muttered. The thought of Enzo sitting at Caroline's dinner table-sitting in _his _place- stung bitterly.

"Yeah. It's a typical Barbie shindig," Damon said as he and Enzo made their way to the door.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, come on in," Caroline smiled brightly. Enzo was surprised to have been invited, but he wasn't complaining one bit. Damon halted when he realized that Liam was there.<p>

"Barbie, you didn't think it was important to mention that Elena's new boy toy would be here?"

"I knew you wouldn't come if I did, and I wanted you to be here," Caroline sighed.

"Come on mate, it's Friendsgiving," Enzo gave him a look as if to say _Don't screw this up for me. _

Damon rolled his eyes, but relented. "Got any bourbon around?"

* * *

><p>Elena and Liam were helping set the table with Matt and Jeremy, and Damon and Enzo did their best to avoid them.<p>

"Hey, loners, if you're gonna just stand there, you could at least help me mash the potatoes!" Caroline yelled. To her surprise, they obliged.

"Gorgeous, if I may be so bold as to ask, why did you invite me here tonight? Especially after how I screwed you and the other Salvatore over?" Enzo asked her.

"How did I know that this would come up?" Caroline smirked.  
>"Seriously."<p>

"Okay fine. I'll admit I was furious with you for days. I almost hated you. But then I realized that it was better that Stefan knew because now I know that he never has or never will feel for me the way I did for him. And now I can finally move on," Caroline smiled feebly.

"He's an idiot," Enzo whispered. He looked at her so intensely that Caroline's heart would have been pounding ridiculously fast had she been human.

"Plus, you've been there for me for so long. Even though you're disgusting and cruel and I hate you half the time, I somehow care about you enough to forgive you. Shockingly, you've been the only steady thing in my life, and I thought that merited _some _kind of thank you," Caroline smiled.

"I have to say, I wasn't expecting this. I _am, _however, just a bit sorry about Stefan though, and for what I said." He said genuinely.

"A bit, huh?"

"What were you expecting, Gorgeous, a full blown apology and a confession of my undying love for you?" he smirked. She smacked his arm.

"Although you know, if you consider this dinner with Elena and her new boyfriend and Damon a thank you, I have _far better ideas,_" Enzo winked. She smacked him again.

"Keep talking, Enzo," she rolled her eyes.

"Keep talking or what?" he asked, closing the already slim distance between them.

"Enzo," she said, her breath shaky. She should have pushed him away. She should have smacked him again.

"Gorgeous," he said, his arms snaking around her.

"We can't," she said, trying to convince herself more than him. Part of her knew that she still wasn't over Stefan. Part of her also knew that there was a good chance that she would _never _get over Stefan. But she had to try anyway, right? So she did the one thing that defied all logic in the history of man, and she kissed him right then and there, in front of Damon and Elena and Liam and the others. And she didn't care. That is, until she realized that Stefan, a bouquet of flowers in tow, was standing in the threshold and had seen.

"Happy Friendsgiving," Stefan said bitterly.


	2. Chapter 2

And just like that the moment with Enzo was gone, and Caroline was thrown back into reality. Everything was uncomfortably silent until Caroline broke it, asking, "What are you doing here? We aren't friends, remember?" He looked at her with such pain that it truly shocked her.

"I had to try…I had to try to fix us, to fix this ridiculous mess I made, Care," Stefan said simply.

"It's not that simple," Caroline said softly, almost in a whisper.

"Stefan, brother, I think it's time we left," Damon looked from Caroline to Elena and Liam and back.

"Not until I talk to Caroline. Alone," Stefan gave Enzo a harsh stare. Caroline sighed. This was getting exhausting.

"Fine, you have one minute. And don't expect a verbal response," Caroline glared at Stefan. He chuckled to himself as she led him to the hallway outside.

"Stop laughing at me. You don't have the right to come here, uninvited to Friendsgiving, after I humiliated myself in front of you, just to laugh at me. So actually, I think I'm gonna go back inside to my _real _friends," She said, trying desperately to pull herself together before the tears overflowed.

"Caroline, I wasn't laughing at you. I just missed your feistiness. Please wait." Stefan pleaded with her.

"Why? Give me one good reason," She said firmly.

"Because I miss you, and everything about you, and I screwed up," Stefan replied. Caroline turned back to face her former best friend.

"I missed you too, and you knew that, from every damn voicemail I so desperately sent you. I was so desperate, Stefan. For someone who could never, who _would _never see me the way I saw him. At least you admit that you 'screwed up,' but it's too late. I have a life to get back to," She started walking away.

"You need to know why," Stefan said. She paused again.

"Caroline, I had to push you away. It was the only way I could survive the pain. I knew that you would be there for me, to hold me and let me cry. But I wanted to move on and stop crying, and I knew that I couldn't do that if you were with me. So I had to leave and try to forget about you. And that was one of the hardest things I had to do. I'm not proud of what I did, or of how I treated you when I came back. I should have stayed when you asked me to, and I'm sorry I didn't," Stefan admitted. Caroline turned back to face him one more time.

"Thank you for that, Stefan. I'll see you around," she patted his arm and went back inside, leaving Stefan with only the wind and his thoughts.

The others noticed the absence of the other Salvatore and quickly made a well timed escape. Well, everyone but Enzo.

"Hey Gorgeous, is everything with Hero Hair all sorted?" he asked gently. Caroline tried to manage a laugh, but Enzo knew better. So he just took her in his arms and held her. He knew she was still in love with that blasted Salvatore. And he knew that she would always be in love with him. But that couldn't stop him from trying to make her happy, even if he couldn't be with that ridiculously bubbly, blonde cheerleader. No, Enzo would be okay. It was just a matter of making sure the girl would be okay.

"Enzo, I'm sorry," she said through her tears.

"I know Gorgeous. It's okay, I'm still here," he said with a smile.

"Why?" Caroline asked him in bewilderment.

"Because I still care about you. We're 'best friends' as you once called it, remember?" He smirked. Caroline flashed him her signature grin.

"That we are," she agreed.


End file.
